Somogyi, “Wait for You”
Somogyi’s album Hopeless Romantic displays this singer-songwriter’s talent for creating pop songs that are catchy without ever coming off as overly cliched. While “Got No Doubt” was the album’s emphasis track, there’s a simple yet sincere beauty to “Wait for You” that had me returning to this song over and over.

Mur, “Long Way from the Weekend”
I have to confess that my favorite song from Mur’s Fire Escape was “My Only Friend”, a song that was released in 2015, therefore disqualifying itself for the 2016 countdown. Fortunately, the album was filled with intelligently written beautiful songs, such as “Long Way from the Weekend”.

Mind Spiders, “Prosthesis”
Mind Spiders have a most unique way of blending new wave and post punk into a disturbingly catchy package. I could have easily selected any of the tracks from Prosthesis for the countdown, but the title track seems to be the one that haunts my brain the most.

Cut Throat Finches, “Moon Beast”
The Ghost loves hearing great local music on the radio, and one of the best local tracks that KXT had on regular rotation was this album from Reality. The reality is that Cut Throat Finches proved themselves to be one of the strongest musical forces of the year, winning Ghosty Awards for Best Album, as well as Sean Russell’s win for Best Songwriter.

The Feels (feat. Slooom), “Dominator”
It seems that dance music is becoming a more dominant force in local music with each passing year. But While Ishi may get the bulk of the press, no act put out a song that more forcefully demands the listener to get on the dance floor like The Feels did with “Dominator”.

Clifffs, “I’m Your Ghost”
This is the third (and final) song on the countdown featuring local music guru John Dufilho, in a energetic track that is equal parts energetic post-punk and smart poppy hooks. Separate note: Dufilho has kindly allowed me to adopt “I’m Your Ghost” as The Ghost’s official theme song, which makes The Ghost plenty happy.

Monoculture, “Guadalupe & 4th”
Not many acts would think to combine psych rock with blues, but be glad that the crew from Monoculture decided to create that band. “Guadalupe & 4th” is a slow burn that sucks you in, providing a dreamlike almost seven minute vacation from reality into a parallel universe where only dreamy blues riffs matter.

Reagan James, “Breaking the Bank”
While Reagan James earned her fifteen minutes of fame as a contest on The Voice, her time on the show barely hinted at her capability of creating sultry R&B/pop jams like “Breaking the Bank”. This song shows an artist capable of not only keeping up with Top 40 radio, but as a young woman who should be dominating the airwaves with her powerful vocal presence.

Sudie, “Schitzo”
There may not be a more unique singular music force in Dallas than Sudie, a woman that serves as an entire band of one with one of the most peculiar yet uniquely alluring voices in the metroplex. “Schitzo” is perhaps the quintessential Sudie song, demonstrating her ability to create a song that feels like it’s throwing out the book on pop song writing, while simultaneously creating a song that creates more hooks than more artists who work within the traditional box of “pop”.

Calliope Musicals, “Echo of the Woos”
Is there a such thing as indie pop sunshine? If there is, Calliope Musicals have certainly created it with the over the top pop hooks found in “Echo of the Woos.”

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